Compromising of Integrity, Morality, & Principles in Exchange for Money Tour

Date: October 22, 2008

Location: House of Blues Houston

Line-up: Every Avenue, The Maine, Mayday Parade, All Time Low

Okay, so All Time Low is definitely my all time favorite band, but even people who aren't as big of fans cannot deny how amazing they are live. But I'm getting ahead of myself...

Every Avenue- Maybe it was because they were the first band, but these boys weren't great at getting the crowd going. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of their music, but the few songs of theirs that I do like were played and not that impressively. Fortunately, they did not have a long set. If you are unlike me and actually like Every Avenue, you could meet them at their merch table. 

The Maine- This was my second time to see these guys, but because I don't know their newer music as well, I liked them better the first time. For this reason, I always recommend getting your hands on as many of the band's songs as possible before a concert. It just makes it more fun. These guys like to cuss, just for the record. If you're into this kind of music, that's really just something you need to get used to at shows. Their set was longer than Every Avenue and they played 2-3 songs from their first album, and the others were from their newer one. You could meet them at their merch table as well.

Mayday Parade- Between Derek's vox and Alex's sick guitar solos, these guys were almost as amazing as All Time Low. Almost. Mayday knows how to start the party in the crowd, and they like to get some crowd surfing going on. So watch out behind you because I can tell you from personal experience, getting kicked in the back of the head is not fun. Also, just a general tip, know where you are in the audience. If there is a guy behind you that looks like he could, say, give a crowd surfer a lift, be ready to support the weight of some crazy obnoxious thrill-seeking fan or move. If there is a group of extremely excited teenage girls behind you, don't expect to be able to hear after the show. Between the music and their screams, your eardrums will have exploded. But back to Mayday Parade. There set is satisfyingly long, Starting with Three Cheers for Five Years (which I believe was the only song from their old cd), and ending with Jersey. In the middle there is a chill section, with Derek pulling out the keyboard for Miserable at Best. They played all their well known stuff. I honestly don't know about meeting them, seeing as I was busy trying to get as close to the stage as possible for ATL in between sets so...sorry...

All Time Low- Loud. Hilariously immature. Mind-blowingly amazing. They played for an hour and twenty(ish) minutes after a ridiculously long set change, but they were so worth the wait. They went all out with strobe lights and giant speakers, I'm talking square ones taller than the boys in the band. They surprisingly played a lot more songs from their EP than their new(er) album and even played their oldest song available-Circles (which cannot be bought on iTunes btw, you have to get the Warped Tour 2007 CD, available at Hot Topic). My recommendation is to get as close to the stage as possible, because the guys throw out pics throughout the show that say All Time Low and the name of whichever one of them threw it. And they give you waters...that they drank from... so if you're into the idea of drinking after someone famous... ATL is crazy, cusses, hilarious, and just sick live in general. I recommend seeing them if you get the chance. Don't go to merch while they're playing, their merch guy isn't there. Don't expect to meet them if you don't have meet and greet passes, which you get by joining their fan club- The Hustler Club or (for a limited time) going tixx1.artistarena.com/alltimelow/. Username- alltimelow, Password- tickets. I'm working on ways to meet them without having to pay, but as of now this is all I can come up with. If you do get to meet them though, they are hilarious and awesome, especially Jack (according to my friends who got the passes), so its worth doing.

All in all, awesome show. Worth the $15 for sure. Till next time...

YKelly

Coming to you live from Houston...

My absolute favorite thing in the world is seeing the bands I love live. Watching them do what they love onstage, playing their best song while being surrounded by people singing along...it's the best feeling in the world. Actually, playing to people singing along is probably the best feeling in the world, but if you're like me and can't sing/aren't in a band, standing in the crowd is close enough. It's amazing the kind of high you can reach doing this. It's addictive, consuming your thoughts for days after. 

As a rhythm editor at my school newspaper, I have a legit excuse to see a lot of bands play, and I've seen enough shows to tell which bands are good live. Also, I know a thing or two about getting to meet some of the band members and other general tips about shows. Sharing this stuff is my basic intent on creating this blog, so read on and learn from my experiences!! 

YKelly

PS.. My favorite kind of music is alternative (All Time Low, Cute Is What We Aim For, Envy On the Coast, etc) so that will mostly be the kinds of shows I will be blogging about...